Of All the Western Stars
by chasehermes
Summary: In which the prophecy changes everyone else.
1. For Rome

_Belated happy birthday to Nica (hadesgymshorts)._

* * *

The day misspent,  
the love misplaced,  
has inside it  
the seed of redemption.  
Nothing is exempt  
from resurrection.

** -KAY RYAN**

* * *

It wasn't that Reyna was insane or mentally disturbed.

She was just feeling frustrated because she really didn't understand what she did that placed her in front of hundreds of Romans yearning, practically thirsty for blood. It confused her. What had she done to them that made them disobey her, not follow her?

As far as she knew, she did, or at least tried to do her duties with the best of her abilities.

Reyna spent countless of nights trying to fill in the job that was made for two; her body was sore and numb from all the problems Octavian was throwing at her. It was like he wanted her to die soon.

_Which was most likely the case. _

She gritted her teeth.

Percy's off with Annabeth to save the world. Annabeth had abandoned her. Hazel was gone; Gwen was in college. Dakota was too drunk and too intoxicated to even respond. Her sister was busy with her own war; Jason… he never came back.

Reyna didn't understand why her luck was bad even by demigods' standards.

Even when she was young, she did her best to be the best daughter her father could ever have; however, that was damn impossible because Hylla – oh so good, Hylla – had always overshadowed her. But Reyna knew her father did love her so much. It was just that people feel more connected to Hylla than they ever were to her.

Still, her father would sing her some lullabies and be the best father he could be. What happened? He died after some sort of one-eyed creature she later learned as Cyclopes attacked them. Gods… he was just thirty-two then.

When she became Circe's attendant, she tried everything to be a good one, but of course Hylla - the prettier one, the _more noticeable _one – was chosen by her lady.

Then Percy and Annabeth came, and her world was, again, turned upside down. She got lost in an explosion on the coast, and lost track of her sister's location. She only traced her a few years later.

Meeting the Lupa was the be – no, one of the best things that happened to her. Being with the she-wolf made her feel at home, and despite the harsh training, Reyna could tell that this was the life she wanted to have. That ended when the goddess decided it would be good for Reyna to be sent to Camp Jupiter.

Of course, it did something good to some extent.

She met the son of Jupiter and had friends although the number of the latter one was really few. Reyna didn't spend time brushing her hair and putting on bits of make-up. She knew as Pluto that she wasn't stunning nor gorgeous. Her writing didn't match those of Apollo's, and her speed wasn't of Mercury's. But she was contented.

She aced her exams and excelled in sword fighting. Reyna did beat up some of the best in the camp, and that was saying something – especially for a newbie like her. She was respected despite her shortcomings.

Her body felt nostalgia, and it almost made her thought that her luck wasn't really that bad.

Well, except the fact that Jason Grace who soon became her close friend and confidante was taken right under her nose. She bit her lip, and looked straight ahead at the Romans, daring anyone to speak up.

What had she done to him that made him leave her like some piece of trash?

Their relationship which Reyna tried so hard to keep suddenly fell, and there was no one but her to pick up the debris and glasses. By the gods, she waited for fucking _eight – eight! – months. _And what happened? He returned with a shallow daughter of love in his arm.

Besides all of those things, she had seen how Jason looked when he returned from the Greek camp. His hair wasn't as kept, and his eyes – _they looked different._

He didn't even bother to say "hello" or explain what the heck happened. No, he didn't. He went on and rambled to his girlfriend about New Rome. He left her again without even saying sorry or feeling guilty. He didn't want to come home.

As for McLean?

She left with a smug smile on her face, and Reyna really couldn't resist the urge to strangle her because she took Jason away, and sauntered off like the spoiled brat she was.

That was the last straw.

Reyna clenched her jaw as betrayal flooded her, blinding her heart and causing her fist to coil while her lips curled. She had had enough with the gods toying with her like she was some kind of pet. She had had enough of the Fates meddling with her life. She had had enough of people leaving her behind.

Father was gone; Hylla was away. Circe's dead; Lupa had her own fight. And Jason? He'd be with that Venus _spawn. _As for Reyna? She'd all alone, and this time, she won't even bother to pretend that she was fine with that.

Rage boiled inside her; something snapped, and nothing but anger flooded her. For a moment, she wanted to slash and do nothing but move around the battlefield as if that was the sole reason she was born. The feeling made her feel so dead, yet alive at the same time. Perhaps this was what Medea felt when the first Jason left her. Perhaps this was what the lieutenant of Diana felt when she was betrayed.

Her eyes flashed as she ignored the triumphant look crossing Octavian's face and the silent plea of Juno inside her head. She would be a toy of the gods no more; let them feel her rage because she was going to fight for father, for Circe, for Hylla -

And this time, she was going to win.

.

.

* * *

Thank you for reading. :)) Inspired by icy roses' _"Collateral Damage"._

Reviews are very much appreciated.


	2. Aftermath

**A/N: **This is all I could muster. Have fun reading! :)) thanks guys!

My first entry for the _dissonances' _**BrOTP Bootcamp**.

PROMPT: Kindness

* * *

dedicated to PamelaTurpin

* * *

A time machine, a magic wand, a globe made out of gold -

Lost of gravity and decisions to uphold

-** WORLD _(Five For Fighting)_**

* * *

The Atlantic ocean, Jason thinks bitterly, is the best reward the gods could give them for risking everything including their sanity just to save the whole civilization. Perhaps he should rephrase that. The only reward the gods could give them is a trip to some unknown place. There's no "I'm proud of you" or "thank you".

Anger and resentment enter Jason as he grits his teeth in frustration. It's no secret; he is livid and bothered by the selfish actions of his uncles and aunts. They play with demigods like him as if they were their toys. It's as if they have every right in the world to strip off someone's freewill and dignity. It's no wonder several heroes tried to overthrow them before.

The breeze breathes into him, and it takes him a while to realize he's on the domain of his father's enem- err, brother and ally. The cool air brings comfort, and he is left with odd feeling of warmth and acceptance.

Oh how much he envies Percy for having a father who's a actually a father. Jason bites his lip, a behavior he's been doing since he was a little kid, as he walks slightly on the edge of the ship and settles on the ivory deck. He lets his head hit the fluffy and comforting cushion.

The cotton does little good to calm his nerves down as he looks up and watches the stars.

The stars are bright today, and the constellation of the Huntress looks as pristine and as magnificent as the others. At the mention of the former maiden of Artemis, he flinches as he remembers his brother - half-brother, actually - Hercules who is as sly with his womanizing ways as his father is.

It's a known thing among everybody: children of Zeus, the boys especially, weren't exactly the most faithful boyfriends and husbands on the list. It's not a fact, but it could be proven by tons of examples from history. Jason could only wish he won't be part of that.

He hears something shuffles behind him. Instinctively, Jason turns, electricity unconsciously flickering around his form.

He's expecting some sneak attack (he's really paranoid these days), and he's more than shock to see the son of Hades walking, lids nearly closed.

"Erm," Jason starts to say, "hello." It sounds more of like a question. How does one talk to another who spends more time with the dead, anyway?

Nico di Angelo shifts uncomfortably. "Oh, it's you," he mumbled. "I thought it was Percy and Annabeth sneaking out..." The words fumble out of Nico's mouth, and Jason is left confused.

Since when did he looked like a fierce blonde girl and a laid-back brunette making out in the middle of the sea?

Perhaps genetic mutation is a gift of his, too.

"Sorry, I'm not Annabeth," Jason mutters, "or Percy, for that matter."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry."

Oh Jason is ready to strangle someone. Where's this kid's manners anyway? To be honest, Jason isn't exactly fond of Nico di Angelo. His attitude doesn't help either.

"Sorry." Nico scratches his head as he apologizes again. "Okay, okay," he grumbles. "I was wondering if you were fine."

Jason raises an eyebrow and gives him a deadpanned look. He's not stupid.

Nico seems to have realized this as he sighs. "Alright. Piper asked me to talk to you," he admits, his face looking even more childish than before. "She's worried when she notices you weren't talking during dinner, but she's worried you might not tell her so she went to me and then..." he rants on.

Jason nearly clenches his teeth when he realizes that as it seems, Piper is not yet comfortable around him when it comes to these matters. He frowns but stops himself from prying when he realizes he doesn't blame Piper. After all, it doesn't take a smart person to see things are a bit on the edge when it comes to trust department between the two of them.

Nico throws him a look. "I tried to tell her you won't tell me, but she's... determined." He tries to replace _desperate. _

Jason nods his head and leans back, closing his eyes. Somehow, he finds not responding the appropriate response. After all, what is he supposed to say? He has to admit, he's slightly hurt by Piper's lack of confidence to tell him things. A part of him, though, is glad to the very least that someone really does care for him.

Nico shifts and pokes him; Jason turns and raises an eyebrow.

"Look, I know I'm not in the place to say it," Nico starts to say, his voice is still high. He's still some boy.

_Some boy who faced Tartarus all by himself_, Jason thinks as pity flooded him.

"But I know what's going on here." Nico looks uncomfortable. "You're upset," he states, and Jason wants to strangle the son of Hades. "You're disappointed because you chose to stay with the Greeks when it's obvious the Romans needed you more," Nico says, voice sounding plain.

It took all of Jason's will to resist the urge to throw the kid of the boat.

"Yes?" He tries to control his temper.

Dark eyes regard him for a minute before the younger boy speaks slowly. "Aside from that, you're guilty because you left Reyna for a long time." Jason flinches, but Nico continues. "And you chose to not do anything to help her. Now, she's left alone to manage Camp Jupiter until the next election which won't be anytime soon."

Jason glares at him, but Nico continues. Oh, Nico is so going to be Jason's next target for his lightning control practice.

"You're annoyed because you didn't think too much of your actions before," Nico finishes. All of a sudden, he looks like an old man instead of a boy yet to reach his puberty.

Jason is glad he didn't have Thalia's short temper. If he had, he'd be strangling Nico's neck even before anyone could notice.

"Shut up," Jason says through gritted teeth. "You don't know anything."

Nico nods his head, and the son of Jupiter wonders where on the earth does his cousin get his courage and recklessness from. "I don't," he agrees. "But that doesn't mean I can't see it. I don't know anything about you and Reyna. But I could see how much your decision before is causing you pain now. It's pitiful actually, to see a fellow demigod to suffer so much."

That's the longest speech Jason has ever heard from the kid. Jason sighs and lies down.

"You figured me out." He opted to say that. After all, diplomacy seemed like the better choice.

"There are benefits in keeping quiet."

Jason murmured quietly to the wind. "That's sort of good to hear."

Nico doesn't say anything, and neither does Jason. He closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep when Nico's voice breaks him out of his daydream.

"I had a sister named Bianca."

Jason finds himself saying, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Nico says simply as he leans back, too. "I lost her two years ago. She's a hunter of Artemis, you know. She joined them after meeting Lady Artemis."

Jason finds no trace of bitterness in his voice.

"She died when they went on the quest to save Artemis. I never got to thank her or tell her I loved her or I was lucky to have someone care for me that much." Nico paused and clenched his fists. "I used to search endlessly for her. It took me some time she's reborn and I have to move on, too."

Jason looks at Nico, finding himself speechless. He doesn't know about this, and to hear it from Nico himself is a surprise. He opens his mouth to speak when the younger boy cuts him off.

"I don't need pity. I just want you to learn from my experience. Reyna - she waited for you for a long time. She never gave up."

Jason raises an eyebrow.

"I was a diplomat of Pluto then." Nico flushed. "I saw her all the time after you went... missing," Nico explained. "I was there. I saw how she waited."

Jason snaps back at him, anger suddenly flooding him again. "That doesn't mean she's going to welcome me back."

"She will. No one could wait that long and not welcome you back."

"How are you so sure?"

Nico looks at him straight at his eyes. "Because I was there. I saw it. She nearly sliced Octavian, you know. She would literally kill someone with her eyes when they hint you were dead. One time, Aurgu - Argu -Aur-"

"Aurum and Argentum," Jason supplies.

"Yeah, those two dogs chewed half of Octavian's toga." Nico's laughter is the evidence the sight of Octavian half-naked is hilarious. Jason imagines it, and can't stop himself from joining in.

That's when Jason really looks at Nico.

The boy acts old for his age, but Jason figures it's probably because of the mountain of hardships he has to go through. He's not as cold as he acts, and among the shade of onyx is the faintest tint of kindness and white.

"But how are you so sure Reyna wouldn't be mad at me?"

Nico shrugs. "Pure instinct."

Jason nearly falls. He opens his mouth to speak when Nico butts in. "I know she will because right now, I bet, despite the angry facade she's been putting on, she's waiting for you, just like she did for eight months. I mean, I like Piper, but I think there's someone you're gonna have to return to."

Jason feels himself open up to this son of Hades whose head he's been willing to rip just a few minutes ago. Tonight, he realizes two things.

One: he won't turn out like his half-brother. He will set things right.

Two: he's going to have to pack his things soon.

Three: as cold as sons of death are, they could feel like anybody else could.

* * *

**A/N: **That's it for now. :)) Reviews are very much appreciated.


End file.
